Principals hit back at ‘out of touch’ Hanafin over funding

SCHOOL principals have accused Education Minister Mary Hanafin of being out of touch on the inadequate funding which causes schools to ask parents to fund normal running costs.

Ms Hanafin told the Dáil on Tuesday she was concerned about parents being pressured into making voluntary contributions to their children’s schools. The issue arose after she revealed that her department paid almost €2 million in the past five years to 97 schools in financial trouble, most of them in disadvantaged areas.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) said it is impossible for schools to survive on the day-to-day funding provided by the Department of Education. The funding difficulties faced by the country’s 3,280 primary schools was among the issues being discussed at an INTO principals’ conference in Co Mayo yesterday and today.